The spiritual leader of Jamma’atu Izalatil Bid’a Waikamatis Sunnah (JIBWIS), Sheik Sani Yahaya Jingir, said himself and other members of the group attended yesterday’s Jumma’at prayers because Governor Simon Lalong didn’t ask them to stop observing the prayer.
According to Sheik Jingir, since there were no cases of the disease in Plateau, there was no reason not to attend the weekly prayer.
Thousands of worshippers, on Friday, attended Jumma’at prayers in Jos, the Plateau State capital.
The Jumma’at prayers were mainly observed in all the Mosques under the jurisdiction of JIBWIS, Daily Trust can reports.
Our correspondent reports that the Plateau Central Mosque and other Jumma’at mosques under jurisdiction of Jamma’atu Nasril Islam (JNI) instructed members not to attend the prayer.
Daily Trust reported on how scores of Operation Safe Haven’s (OPSH) personnel were, on Thursday evening, deployed within Jos, ahead of Friday’s Jumma’at prayers.
The security, on arrival on Thursday, announced to residents and passersby in the area through a Public Address System that there wouldn’t be Jumma’at prayers on Friday and church services on Sunday.
Yesterday’s prayer was performed a day after the state government ordered the arrest of whoever flouted the directive of safety measures to stem the spread of coronavirus pandemic.
The state commissioner of Information, Mr Dan Manjang, on Friday in a statement, quoted governor Lalong as saying: “Members of the public are warned in their own interest to abide by the restriction order as security officials are directed to arrest and prosecute anyone found violating it.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the restriction order include amongst others; closure of all markets except those selling food items, pharmaceuticals and cooking gas; no congregation of more than 50 people at places of worships, strict observance of at least 2-metres and provision of hygienic materials such as water, sanitizers and soap,” the statement added.
Prior to the commencement of yesterday’s prayer, multitudes of security personnel comprising of military, civil defence and Mobile police officers were stationed around the Yantaya Mosque to enforce the directive but at about 1 pm, all the security operatives suddenly left Mosque area, giving the worshippers the chance to converge on the main ground of the prayer.
Reliable source within the military circle told Daily Trust that the operatives were asked to withdraw probably due to the rising tension around the area of the mosque during the prayer.
